An Indian high court has set the date of Feb. 21 for pronouncing its verdict on the death sentence given to Mumbai attacker Mohammed Amir Ajmal Kasab, said the Indo-Asian News Service on Monday.

The Bombay High Court Monday announced that it will give its verdict Feb. 21 confirming or commuting the death penalty of Kasab, awarded by a lower court last year, the report quoted Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam as saying.

The high court will also the same day decide on Kasab's appeal against the award of death sentence to him by the lower court, Kasab's lawyer Farhana Shah said.

The matter came up before the Bombay High Court Monday for further directions in the case, the hearings on which were concluded three weeks ago.

In the final stages of the hearing in the high court, Kasab boycotted the proceedings after the judges rejected his request to be brought physically to the court.

In view of the security considerations in transferring him to and from the court, Kasab was made to appear before the court through a video-conference link set up in the high-security Arthur Road Central Jail.

At one of the initial hearings, Kasab displayed violent tendencies and attempted to spit at the video-camera.

Refusing to accept the death sentence, Kasab also demanded that he should be sent to the United States.